Whats the 411 on that B-17F gents?

[Lee_K]

Interesting that the kit instructions call for the dark blotches on the camouflage of "Memphis Belle" and "Knockout Dropper" to be Matt Olive Drab on top of faded Olive Drab. Wouldn't those blotches be Medium Green, as per USAAF specs?

[tomprobert]

Interesting that the kit instructions call for the dark blotches on the camouflage of "Memphis Belle" and "Knockout Dropper" to be Matt Olive Drab on top of faded Olive Drab. Wouldn't those blotches be Medium Green, as per USAAF specs?

Yes and no. These blotches were applied in the field upon arrival in Britain and often came from RAF stocks. Medium green is the most oft quoted colour, but in truth it was often what was at hand as long as it was a close approximation.

[Lee_K]

Thanks Tom. That certainly makes sense and they do look field-applied instead of coming from the factory. Perhaps RAF Dark Green would be a good choice for the blotches?

[aircommando130]

Just start shipping the dang kit!!! That paint is at the very end of the build!!! There will be several topics about builds if we ever get it!!!

[thierry laurent]

As they made new nose parts I am really wondering if the section just in front of the windshield will be flatter...?

[Juggernut]

As they made new nose parts I am really wondering if the section just in front of the windshield will be flatter...?

 

No, it won't.  They did not change the nose from frame 3 forward.  To the best of my intuition, the cost-benefit ratio did not rate updating the fuselage (and the required other, related parts) to be more accurate.

[thierry laurent]

Ok, so that means that the early B-17G they will probably release will not see any major change except the non-staggered waist gun and possibly the initial tail option.

 

I was hoping that some major issues would be solved. The kit is terrific but the lack of control/move mechanism components for the chin and top turrets are nasty issues no aftermaket company solved. When you have a look at the one made by David Parker, you realize the amount of missing large items that are visible in the nose and cockpit...

[thierry laurent]

Well, after a look at the new parts, it seems the third release may be more attractive than I thought if they mix and match parts... The wrong bulkhead located towards the Sperry ball turret has been corrected and now the top turret has far more parts...

 

I will wait as I do not want to buy TWO kits to make an early G and it seems obvious they will release other kits as now the major investment has been done...

[D.B. Andrus]

Yes and no. These blotches were applied in the field upon arrival in Britain and often came from RAF stocks. Medium green is the most oft quoted colour, but in truth it was often what was at hand as long as it was a close approximation.

 

Hi Tom

 

I'm interested in where you obtained this information about use of RAF Green in place of Med. Green 42. New documentation is always appreciated.

 

Cheers,

 

D.B.

[LSP_Ray]

Actually, I have heard the same when it comes to camo applied to P-47's and P-51's. Really hard to prove anything one way or another.

[Bill M.]

I wonder if the green splotches were applied at the factory or in the field. A-20's and P-40N's had the splotches applied at the factory presumably. Some B-17F's and B-24D's had the splotches too, but do we know where applied? I have the feeling that a search of factory photos and photos from other theaters might help with an answer-- something I haven't done. If factory applied, they would presumably be "medium green".

Bill M.

[Shawn M]

ooooo, really want to do a field moded pacific bird...

[Patrick HMD]

The splotches always seem to appear darker than the original paint in all the black and white period photographs that I have seen.  So regardless of what paint you choose, that is something to keep in mind.  They always seem darker, always a stark contrast.  Not sure if a medium green would be much darker.  How about a dark greenish, brownish color?  Just saying, just a thought.

 

Best regards

Patrick

[Rowen]

This might be a good place to re-iterate a post I've made previously...

 

My mother was one of the women that built B-17's. She often talked about the work they did finishing the planes in the factory and that, because of the war effort, supplies were sometimes in short supply. This was especially true of paints. Not all aircraft had zinc chromate green interiors. Sometimes it was almost a yellow. Sometimes even black. Whatever paint they could get would be used. She had numerous pictures (somewhere I do have them.... though most are B&W). At one point she was up in Buffalo and worked on P-39s. They used black as an interior coat on many of them (P-39's) for a while.

 

The point being...those factory applied splotches might well have been a batch of olive drab mixed with another, darker color to finish off the painting of a particular aircraft in the factory if the olive drab was in short supply that day. Or, quite possibly, the overall olive drab might have been lighter because of a factory floor mix and then actual olive drab used on the splotches.

 

In any of the cases, the overall colors were hardly consistent. Again, supplies or lack thereof. Olive drab wasn't always the same exact color. Likewise with green, etc.

 

Something to keep in mind. Or - you really can't go wrong as long as you are close with your color selections

 

-Ro

[Juggernut]

I haven't found the order yet but the splotching was not, as far as I am aware, factory applied.  I believe the order was given in the ETO late 1942 or early 1943 to apply medium green 42 splotching on the exterior in irregular patterns to break up the shape of the big bombers.  I'm just shooting from a bad memory on this so take it for what it's worth.  I''m still digging for information but without many references available to me, it's not an easy task.